


Heart on My Sleeve

by SheWhoWalksUnseen



Category: Black Lightning (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Once Upon a Time Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Discord: Flarrowverse Shipyard, Gen, Gen Prompt Bingo, Kind of fucked with the character roles a little if you know the show but...oh well, Temporary Character Death, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-10 16:08:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18663760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWhoWalksUnseen/pseuds/SheWhoWalksUnseen
Summary: The whole drive over, Anissa's foot wouldn't stop tapping against the floor of the car.





	Heart on My Sleeve

**Author's Note:**

> For my DCTVGen Bingo Square prompt: "Pierce Sisters"!
> 
> Admittedly, I never finished OUAT for personal reasons, but I will forever love Season 1, as well as Jen and Anissa's sibling bond. I may have planned out a whole au for this (not that I'll ever write it in full) so if any of the character roles seem harsh or weird, sorry?
> 
> But also enjoy <3

The whole drive over, Anissa's foot wouldn't stop tapping against the floor of the car.

She knew it was bothering Gambi, could feel the look he kept shooting her like a physical burn on the side of her cheek. Not that she cared, truthfully.

It was laughable to consider being afraid of the man - the _king_ , according to that damn book, the _evil king_ and nothing like the cartoonish evil queen with the crow in that old Disney film - when she'd just fought a dragon underneath the library.

How was she _supposed_ to care when she'd nearly died, singed hairs on her forearms still tingling, and Whale had run off with the very thing they needed to save -

Anissa closed her eyes and forced herself to count to ten. Inhale on every even number, slow and steady.

“The doctors said she might pull through. She's strong. She's going to be alright,” Gambi murmured.

A vicious part of her snarled a _really, is she? Who was the one that let Whale go through with poisoning her? Who was the one who let her believe she was crazy for almost a year?_

It took effort to nod without a word, let the tension in Gambi's shoulders relax a smidge, let him believe she believed him.

Or maybe he didn't.

She couldn't find it in her to care right now. Because if she cared - if she let herself relax and smile and hope, then...

Anissa had spent twenty-five years learning to not care. Beat back emotions with a sword - an analogy that made her almost want to smile now that she'd actually _used_ a sword minutes ago, and _my god how was she still alive, how had that even happened, how was this real_ \- and let others dream for a brighter future.

Then again, that was before a teenage girl arrived on her doorstep with a book of fairytales, claiming to be her long-lost sister.

All those times she'd imagined a family, deep down in a cavity in her chest so far from sunlight it'd never come into being, she had never pictured anyone like Jennifer (like Lynn and Jefferson, who were supposed to be her _parents_ , if Jen's book hadn't lied about that too).

Or maybe she never imagined anyone would think she was worth saving from a magical, poisoned apple turnover.

Who was she kidding? She'd never decided to stay in this town for any far-fetched notion of family or magic or fairytale characters come to life. She hadn't wanted to stay for more than a _week_ , never mind _months_.

They pulled into the hospital parking lot and Anissa was out of the car before Gambi could say a word, slamming the door, pulling her jacket around her tighter as she hurried for the doors. She didn't want to hear reassurances, pitiful promises made by a man who was supposed to be her adoptive father, who should've _protected_ her.

 _And what about you,_ hissed that bitter voice in the back of her mind as she ignored Gambi's call, dodged nurses who tried to slow her down. _How did you protect her?_

She didn't realize she was running until she nearly ran into Dr. Jace, stumbling as she rounded the corner to make it, she had to _make it_ -

“Miss Pierce.” The doctor pulled her back from the door, stepping in her path, but Anissa hardly registered her tone, the measuredness of her voice, as if she were afraid of -

“ _Miss Pierce_ ,” Dr. Jace said louder, shaking her shoulders a little so Anissa would tear her eyes away from the door in front of her. There was something hesitant in her gaze, something unfamiliar that made her gut churn.

Gambi's footsteps were fast approaching, she could hear him coming, panting and murmuring something about old bones. The nurses to her left, pulling someone by on a stretcher, glanced away pointedly when Dr. Jace glared in their direction.

“Ma'am,” Anissa cleared her throat, already starting to pull away. “If you don't mind…”

“We were just about to call. Mr. Gambi said you were with him.”

“Well, it's fine, I'm here now. So can I please go see - ”

“We couldn't do anything more for her.”

Her head went fuzzy, as if it were filled with cotton. She met Dr. Jace's eyes again and the pity staring back at her washed over her like a flood.

“Jennifer's heart...well, we tried everything, but - ”

A nurse walked out of the door to her room - _to Jen's room_ \- carrying an oxygen mask, her face screwing up into one of crestfallen grief, a likely apology on her tongue, and Anissa jerked herself out of the doctor's grasp, shoving her way past into the room, throat tight.

It was a lie, they were _lying_.

They had a plan, they were going to save her, they would've _saved her_ if Whale hadn't taken the potion, but she'd be _fine_. She couldn't be -

The tone of the flatline rang like a gong throughout the empty room and she stopped dead in her tracks, swallowing through lumps she didn't know had made it to her throat, and suddenly it was hard to breathe.

If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought Jen looked peaceful, lying there, asleep and waiting for someone to go shake her awake. The white sheets covered her up to her chest, hair a tangled mess on the pillow around her head, no more tubes sticking out of her - _she_ could've been Snow White for all Anissa knew.

But instead, she was gone.

Someone - maybe Gambi, maybe Dr. Jace, who knew, who _cared_ \- murmured something outside the doorway, and there was a low sob, muffled and quiet but still there.

Anissa felt like she was moving underwater, wading too slow to make a difference and get where she needed to be, inching through molasses as her knees brushed the bedsheets.

Hours ago, that very morning, she'd been saying goodbye to Jen, hopeful that she could at least come back and visit once this whole mess with Whale and the obvious divide between her and Gambi blew over. The memory of the hurt look in Jen's eyes, the determination that followed when she realized where that turnover had come from that Anissa hadn't known what to do with, struck her like a sword to the heart.

How hopeful she'd been. How hard she'd wished that she could make things right.

But now she'd never...

She'd never gotten to say goodbye.

The dam broke; Anissa fell to one knee by the bed, gasping for air, hands shaking, unable to tear her gaze away from Jen's still form and the blank expression on her face. She couldn't get in enough air, could barely see anything other than _Jen_ , and _what had she done, what had she done, what had she done?_

“I'm sorry,” she choked out, tears clouding her vision even as she swiped at them furiously with one hand. “I'm _so sorry_. I - I couldn't... This is my fault, I can't - I should've - _Jen, I'm so sorry_.”

All Jen had wanted was a sister. Someone who believed in her. Someone who wouldn't brush her off and who'd _stay_ after she promised she'd never leave.

And Anissa had fucked it all up. Again.

“I should've believed you. I should've believed _in_ you.” She lifted a trembling hand and moved a couple of Jen's curls out of her eyes. Her skin still shone faintly with sweat, clammy and cooling under her hand, and Anissa's chest felt like it was being squeezed, a balloon about to pop. “No one's ever... No one's ever believed in me like you have. You don't,” her breath hitched, “you _didn't_ deserve this. Any of this. All I wanted was to keep you safe, to make things better and less stressful so you wouldn't end up - so you didn't become _me_ , and instead, you're…” She pressed her lips together to stifle a sob, not that it mattered much given how quickly her tears were falling onto the bed, hitting Jen's arms and shoulders soundlessly.

 _If you won't believe me or in this curse, then I need you to believe in this. I'm sorry,_ declared a faint voice in the back of her mind.

“You had nothing to be sorry for,” Anissa whispered.

Light footsteps entered the room, but she didn't turn or budge, ignoring the ache in her knees. She rubbed at her eyes again, a futile attempt to calm herself, and thought of Lynn - her roommate, her friend, her _mother_ \- and Jefferson - her _father_. If Jen was right, they'd never know the truth.

Another memory, a scoff this time, made her flinch. _Well_ , _sorry if I'm selfish enough to want my family back!_

Jen didn't look right like this. Not breathing and so still and silent.

“I'm sorry I wasn't the savior or the sister you wanted,” Anissa whispered. She sucked in a shaky breath and her nose brushed her sister's forehead as her lips hovered over skin. “I love you, Jen.”

She kissed her forehead, light as a feather, tears sliding down her cheeks.

And then there was a blast of color throughout the hospital room, rainbows swimming before her eyes and filling her veins with warmth and she had to shut her eyes tight against the seizing migraine that overtook her, a mental _shove_ that sent her flailing onto her ass, palms pressed against her temples, and -

And suddenly she could see castles, blinding smiles, and babies wrapped in blankets and fairies zipping around her head, small fingers brushing an infant's still-closed eyes as she wailed, a sobbed _You'll find us again, I know you will, Anissa_ , a sword protecting her from dozens of guards as she ran down the corridor -

And carrying Jennifer through a wooden wardrobe to a land without magic and losing her memory and _forgetting everything_.

Anissa's eyes flew open and she found herself gasping, clutching at her chest as if it would ease the pain of seven years of memories she'd lost the day she landed on the side of the road with a baby girl bundled in her arms that she hadn't known. Her fingernails dug through her blouse hard, arms unsteady as she tried to orient herself.

Someone choked and she realized she wasn't the only one who'd been knocked off their feet (figuratively _and_ literally). Dr. Jace was staring at her hands in open-mouthed shock, the other nurses murmuring to one another, some crying and hugging each other once they got over their amazement.

But, wait - amazement over - ?

A different gasp came next to her, so close to her, and Anissa whipped around to watch Jen cough and start to shakily push herself upright, not quite as clammy or sickly as she'd been moments ago. The room went silent, and Anissa's heartbeat echoed in her ears alongside fragmented memories slowly piecing themselves together like a dusty puzzle left untouched for decades.

“What…” Jen's brow furrowed as she focused on her surroundings. “Anissa? What happened? Where... I was…”

The emotional rollercoaster of the last few hours snapped any remaining control she might've had. Anissa surged forward, pulling her sister into her arms with a hoarse cry, burying her face in Jen's shoulder. She could feel Jen tensing, likely out of surprise, but the real and warm weight of the other under her hands gave her comfort like nothing else and she wanted to hold on tight and never let go.

“Um, whoa, what - ”

“You're _alive_ ,” Anissa breathed out, her grip tightening for a second as the remnants of despair threatened to send her spiraling. “You're alive, my god, you're _okay, you're alright_.”

“Yeah, I…” Jen trailed off and pushed at her shoulders gently. Anissa pulled away reluctantly, but that regret faded as Jen's lips parted in a hushed _oh_ , recognition sparking in her eyes. “Wait. The - You were _leaving_ , you were going to eat - ”

“I didn't eat it,” Anissa said, giving her sister a weak smile when horror started to dawn on her face. “ _I_ wasn't the one who ate a magical, poisoned turnover.”

Jen's shoulders slumped in relief and she sent back her own sheepish smile, laughing a little hysterically. “It _was_ poisoned.”

“And you thought _eating it_ was the best plan?”

“Hey, you were gonna do it if I didn't.”

“You _died_!”

Jen's smile faltered, but only for an instant. “You saved me, though. You believed.”

“True Love's Kiss.” They both turned at Dr. Jace's murmur, having forgotten they weren't alone. There was something unsettling about the way everyone was shifting around, celebrations starting to die down, watching Anissa and Jen with a new light in their eyes. Dr. Jace stepped closer, tilting her head with a cool expression. “A rather obvious solution, in hindsight. After all, it's the most powerful magic there is. It can easily break any curse.”

“Oh.” Jen snorted. “You're saying I could've convinced you to act out some Frozen shit and this would've all worked out months ago?”

“Love doesn't work like that,” Anissa told her, but she couldn't stop her smile from growing, even as Gambi glanced her way and the worry reflected in his eyes almost made her feel sorry for him, though she wasn't sure why -

Oh.

Right. He was the one who'd cast said curse.

Yeah, that might be a problem.

(Not that she blamed anyone angry, personally - she was still pissed about the whole poison ordeal, mistake or not.)

As if on cue, a couple of nurses' faces darkened and the attention began to shift to Gambi as he edged toward the door. “If I were you,” one of the women hissed, “I'd find a safe place to hide, _Your Majesty_.”

Gambi nodded and cast another look in Anissa's direction. His face softened when he met Jen's gaze. “I _am_ sorry,” he said, low enough that Anissa had to strain to hear him. “No matter what they tell you, I didn't mean to - I didn't want any of this to happen. To either of you.”

He strode from the room, pace quickening as the nurses and orderlies parted for him with matching glares before starting to follow him out, and Anissa could see Jen swallow hard before a familiar mask went up, hiding any pain to the untrained eye. Even after everything, he'd still raised Jen - and admittedly, he confessed to only trying to drive Anissa out of town at Whale's demand - and it hurt to glimpse the torn glint in her eyes.

“Hey,” Anissa pulled Jen closer so they were shoulder-to-shoulder, squeezing her sister's arm when Jen didn't quite face her. “It'll be okay.”

“We're part of some weird, messed up fairytale and everyone's stuck here still and we…” Jen paused and something Anissa couldn't pin down passed over her features. “Oh. Fuck.”

“ _Hey_ \- ”

“No, we - Anissa, we have to meet them still! Or, again, I guess. I'm not sure how this double life thing works.” She frowned. “Is it messing with your head too?”

“I'm fine. I mean, I have seven years of lost memories floating around now, but I _was_ a kid. Not all of it is super clear.” Jen didn't look reassured so Anissa gave her another squeeze. “What do you mean by 'meet them', though?”

“Our parents?”

Anissa didn't mean to stiffen, but part of her felt a little sick at the very thought. Whether it was a good or bad thing, she wasn't sure. “Oh.”

Jen raised an eyebrow. Anissa took comfort in the fact that she seemed as uncertain as she felt about that inevitability. “Did you seriously not think of that?”

“I - I've had other things on my mind,” she protested, using her free hand to rub her temples. “Plus, living near a sister you _know_ is your sister is different from finding out your parents are fairytale characters stuck here for most of your life when you thought they abandoned you on the side of the road and it turns out _you_ were just the one who forgot.”

Jen rested her head on Anissa's shoulder and nudged her side. “The curse isn't your fault. And besides, you said so yourself: you were a kid, you probably wrote off the whole thing in your head. Imagination and all that.”

“I left you in a foster home because I forgot everything.”

“...Oh.”

Anissa winced. “I know.”

“But…” Another nudge, this time gentler. “You came back.”

“You had to track me down to get me here at all!”

“It was worth it, though.” Anissa sent her a look and Jen grimaced. “Alright, maybe not the poison part, but I got my sister back. And now we can be a family like we should've been all along.”

A lump lodged itself in Anissa's throat. Yes, the thought of meeting her long-lost parents, these epic heroes and princesses and who knew what else, was terrifying, but the small piece of her that had longed for closure, for a home and a family and to know what had happened to the people who should've raised her, ached with a fierce longing.

Faint memories of calloused hands, kisses across her forehead, and lullabies drifted through the back of her mind, hard to picture clearly but still _there_. For the first time, she had a tangible memory, a hope that she could pinpoint without making up her own stories and wondering who her parents might've been.

This wistfulness must've shown on her face because Jen glanced up and smiled as if she could read her thoughts. “So, Harriet. You gonna let me get up from this bed so we can leave?”

“Leave?”

“And go find our family.”

Anissa stared her down with her best stern expression, but Jen didn't waver. Her smile only widened the longer she stayed quiet. “You sure you're up to it?”

“You kissed me awake, True Love's magic or whatever saved me! I feel fine. Better than fine.” Jen lifted her head from Anissa's shoulder and nodded toward the door. “Look, really, I'm okay. As long as I can put on _real_ clothes instead of this hospital gown when I meet our parents for the first...second? Second time.”

Anissa heaved a sigh, but her lips betrayed her, twitching against her will into a small grin. “I saved your clothes over there in your bag in the corner. Even though I _know_ that shirt you were wearing is mine, little miss.”

Jen was already swinging her legs off the bed with a laugh. “Uh huh. I'm sure it is.”

“Don't sass me, I know those frills don't belong to you.”

“Not my fault you left it in my bedroom!”

It was Anissa's turn to hurry to her feet, chasing her sister to the other side of the room. Jen shrieked and burst into a run - or, the most she could run in a too-small hospital gown.

“Don't you dare - Anissa, _ah_! We agreed no tickling, what are you, _five_? Ah, no, _stop_ , _stop_!”

(Of course, there was still the matter of everyone being stranded in Storybrooke to deal with, as well as making up for lost time, but that was a problem for later. Right now, there was just them.)

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream with me at my DCTV Tumblr @areyouscarletcold. Comments are always appreciated, and have a great day!


End file.
